Utopia: Pastels

We love Utopia Kitchen & Bathroom and are always so honored to snag a spot in their issues. Their newest feature, “Express Your Passion for Pastels with Mosaic Tiles,” is featured on their homepage with the two cutest little tile models we ever did see! Fun fact: they’re the daughters of Cean Irminger, New Ravenna creative director!

Flock,® a stone and Serenity glass waterjet mosaic, shown in Infinity Serenity glass and polished Calacatta, is part of the KIDDO collection by Cean Irminger for New Ravenna.

According to Utopia, the challenge in using pastel colors in design is to achieve delicacy without fragility, nostalgia without sentimentality, and innocence without being insipid. There are several considerations that make pastel palettes in kitchens and bathrooms a captivating choice: texture, pattern, and mixed materials.

Using texture to create compelling surfaces is one of the primary ways to keep gentle pastel colors from becoming too bland.  The slight change in elevation between the stone and grout creates a texture that is heaven on bare feet and impossible not to reach out and touch when on walls! Utopia used our “Maya” mosaic (below) in Desert Pink, Afyon White, Cloud Nine, Italian Rose, and Emperador Light as an example. For more patterns that provide a textural sophistication like Maya, view our Tissé collection.

Maya, a hand-cut mosaic shown in tumbled Desert Pink, Afyon White, Cloud Nine, Italian Rose, and Emperador Light by New Ravenna.

Patterns in pastel create visual stimuli, and many of ours are a direct inspiration from nature.  Of her Caroushell mosaic, pictured below, Cean Irminger says, “I used the tone on tone Opal and Moonstone jewel glass to create a type of pattern camouflage. I wanted it to read as a texture from a distance, but as you get close, the pattern of seahorses, coral, and shells becomes visible for a happy surprise.”

Finally, Utopia mentions a mixed-media approach to nailing pastels. They show one of our favorites, Cascade, as their example. Cascade, in Tropical White, Infinity, Island Fog Serenity glass, and polished Snow White, creates texture through the natural colors and qualities of the material.

The mosaics pictured above (and many others) are available through our network of designer showrooms around the world. Find the showroom nearest you for pricing, availability and any other information.

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